Denver Broncos Game Grades: Bo Nix shines in his preseason debut

Game grades are back!

We dug into the tape to grade nearly every Denver Bronco who saw the field in the preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

As you’d probably expect given that the Broncos pulled out a 34-30 win, the grades look pretty good.

Since it’s the start of a new year, let me remind you of the process…

Players are graded based on the opportunities they are given. Results are more important than process. If somebody is on the field for one play and he scores a touchdown, odds are that’s an A+. In other words, a small sample size can lead to extreme grades.

I consider an average grade to be about a B- or C+. Better than average is a B. Below average is a C. Earning an A+ or an F is tough to do.

Here’s how I graded the Broncos’ offense on Sunday…

Click here for the defensive and special teams grades.

Quarterbacks

Jarrett Stidham: B

The stats won’t show it, but Jarrett Stidham played a solid game on Sunday.

He got the offense off to a good start with a pair of completions to Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton. Unfortunately, penalties put Stidham’s offense in tough positions.

On a 3rd & 18, Stidham hit Greg Dulcich short. He had time to sit longer in the pocket and study his deep options, but it was unclear if anybody would come free.

He tried a wheel route to an open Samaje Perine, but the running back bobbled the ball up into the air and it was intercepted. Stidham deserves no blame. It was a good decision and a good throw.

Stidham simply wasn’t given a chance to succeed.

Bo Nix: A

You can’t argue with Bo Nix‘s results.

The rookie completed 15 of 21 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. He ran for 17 more yards and didn’t turn the ball over.

The process wasn’t always pretty. Nix looked a little jittery. He might have hit a couple more throws if he had set his feet.

Nix’s first two passes were misses. The first was off-target with Dulcich sitting in a small pocket against zone coverage. Nix would’ve needed a lot of gas to get the ball there in time, though.

On his second miss, Nix misread a defender. He thought his deep receiver would be double-covered leaving a pocket for the shorter option crossing the field, but one defender dropped off and covered the underneath option.

From there, Nix got hot. He hit Courtland Sutton on the sideline for 22 yards.

He hit Josh Reynolds on an easy out for an 11-yard gain. He should have hit Reynolds shortly after on a 22-yard deep ball to the end zone, but Reynolds couldn’t hold onto the ball.

On a 3rd & 3, Nix scrambled with two open receivers on a mesh concept. He picked up the first down, but missed out on a larger gain because he ran. No big deal.

Later on, Nix tried for Devaughn Vele in a tight window. He had Troy Franklin open on the other side of the field for a big gain.

Nix showed off his arm strength on an RPO touchdown to Marvin Mims in the flat. It was an RPO-heavy day.

Overall, Nix played very well. He played even better if you factor in that it was his first game. Most of my complaints still resulted in successful plays. A couple of others didn’t but that’s to be expected over the course of a 21-throw day.

For more thoughts on Nix’s day, click here.

Zach Wilson: A-

Zach Wilson missed Marvin Mims on a deep post. He should have had a touchdown, but instead he almost had an interception.

Other than that, it was a very solid showing from the fourth-year quarterback.

Wilson hit a number of short passes. His big gains came from catch-and-runs, including a 33-yarder to Blake Watson in the flat.

Wilson’s consistency was the what made him successful. He hit on 10 of his 13 pass attempts. His three incompletions were a checkdown to Michael Bandy on 3rd & 16 that wouldn’t have picked up a first down, a deep ball to Troy Franklin that might have been catchable and the dangerous deep ball to Mims.

Wilson looked athletic in play action. He was quick on his couple of RPOs. I liked what I saw.

Running Backs

Javonte Williams: C+

Javonte Williams didn’t have a bad day, but he didn’t prove that he returned to his usual self after a sub-par 2023 in his return from an ACL injury.

Williams’ workload was light. He carried the ball four times for 15 yards. He caught a five-yard pass, too. The best run was a seven-yard toss when he fought through some contact on the boundary.

I’ve got Williams on the low side of average because of one play in the passing game. He had one-on-one with a linebacker and ran an option route. Stidham threw him the ball, but Williams was unable to gain any separation, and the pass was incomplete.

Samaje Perine: F

Samaje Perine only got his hands on the ball once… and he bobbled it up in the air leading to an interception.

I’m not worried about the veteran back. We know exactly who he is. But zero carries and one target that leads to an interception is an easy F.

Jaleel McLaughlin: B

Jaleel McLaughlin‘s big play was a wheel route. His defender fell down and he was wide open up the sideline for a 22-yard gain. The play helps to negate a drop on a screen earlier in the game.

In the running game, McLaughlin was exactly what you expect him to be. He ran hard. He ran effectively. He ran outside when the better option was probably to cut inside.

McLaughlin’s speed bails him out of iffy decisions. He bumped one stretch run outside despite a running lane up the middle. He changed the angle on the edge defender and picked up five yards.

Overall, McLaughlin was effective on the ground, carrying the ball seven times for 30 yards.

He missed an oncoming defender in pass protection on Bo Nix’s completion to Josh Reynolds, which led to a hit on the quarterback.

Audric Estime: D

Audric Estime converted a 4th & short by powering up the middle. He did the same thing on the next play for a touchdown.

If Estime’s role in the offense is as simple as “short-yardage guy” we’ll have to ignore the yards per carry stats this season and look at success rate.

There wasn’t much spice to Estime’s game on Sunday. He deserves credit for grinding out ugly yards in important situations, but I didn’t see him bounce off a tackler, beat a defender with a move or stiff arm somebody and keep running.

He ran straight ahead. He fell forward. He did his job, but not much more.

His 10 carries for 31 yards is enough for a solid grade… but then there’s the fumble.

Estime had the ball ripped from his arms and carried to the end zone. It’s a bad day when you give the other team a touchdown.

Tyler Badie: A

Tyler Badie is a good football player.

Unfortunately, the third-year Bronco is the forgotten man in the Broncos’ running back room.

Badie had two runs. One of them was a great run on a toss that resulted in an 11-yard touchdown. He caught a pass in the flat and took it for six yards, too.

Whenever the Broncos give Badie an opportunity—which is rare—he takes advantage.

Remember, one of his two NFL touches is a 24-yard touchdown catch-and-run.

Blake Watson: B

Blake Watson’s grade depends on how you split the blame on the missed exchange with Zach Wilson that resulted in a fumble. It looked like Watson’s fault to me, so his A is knocked down to a B.

Watson’s rushing numbers don’t jump off the page. He only picked up 26 yards on nine carries. He had a pretty little side step through the hole on his first run… but he only picked up four yards. His six-yard touchdown run on a toss was sharp, too.

The results in the running game were nothing special, but I thought he looked like he could provide a spark.

Watson’s big play was a catch in the flat that he took for 33 yards by tip-toeing up the sideline. He added a nice touchdown run, too.

Michael Burton: B+

Michael Burton played a clean game.

My favorite block was when he pulled from an H-back spot deep in the red zone and delivered a big blow to the edge defender. On a toss, he popped a defender but didn’t sustain the block, which allowed the defender back into the play.

Tight Ends

Adam Trautman: C

Adam Trautman made a good block on the first play of the game to set up Jarrett Stidham’s completion to Courtland Sutton. On the first run of the game, Trautman missed his man on the second level.

Trautman didn’t catch a ball and had an up-and-down day as a blocker.

Greg Dulcich: B-

Greg Dulcich’s only catch was a five-yard drag route. Against zone coverage, receivers typically sit down in the middle of the field against zone coverage, but Dulcich kept running, which limited his ability to run after the catch. I don’t know if he was supposed to sit, so I’m not holding that against him.

Dulcich almost had a big gain when he ran a double move and sat down in a gap in deep coverage. Bo Nix’s throw led him a few yards toward the middle of the field, which made catching the ball impossible.

Dulcich’s blocking woes continued. He was beaten inside on a power run to his side.

Lucas Krull: D

Oh boy…

Let’s start with the blocking.

Lucas Krull had a pancake on the edge on Audric Estime’s run. It was beautiful.

But on the next play, Krull missed his block and the run only went for two yards.

Krull lost plenty of blocks—like on a Jaleel McLaughlin run up the middle on the first drive of the second half, or when Laiatu Latu played him inside and out to bottle up another McLaughlin run, or when he attempted a kickout block on the first run of the game—but the ones that he won were pretty. Very pretty.

I’m optimistic about Krull as a blocker in the long run, but he was certainly a net negative as a blocker on Sunday.

In the passing game, Krull was almost great. He kicked off a two-minute drill with a 16-yard gain on a broken play, then picked up 16 more on a curl. Unfortunately, this was the Broncos’ second attempt at a two-minute drill before halftime because the first one ended with a Krull fumble.

Once again, Krull measures out as a net negative.

Honestly, the D grade might be too high. I might be blinded by the physical tools and flashes on Sunday.

Nate Adkins: A

This grade might seem high—Nate Adkins was never targeted in the passing game—but the second-year tight end was nearly perfect on Sunday.

Adkins led the way for Bo Nix on a designed run.

Adkins pulled across the formation and made an important block on Zach Wilson’s first throw.

Adkins made an important block on Badie’s touchdown run.

Adkins lined up at fullback and made a great block on a power run.

On one play, Adkins was tripped up by his own teammate, but he still blocked his opponent to the ground from his knees.

I couldn’t find anything wrong with Adkins’ performance.

Hunter Kampmoyer: C+

Hunter Kampmoyer had a rollercoaster day as a blocker. He cost Audric Estime a handful of yards with a missed block on the first play after Estime’s fumble. He missed a back-side block on another Estime run.

He also had some solid moments in the running game.

Kampmoyer gets high marks for his performance as a receiver. He didn’t do anything crazy, but he picked up 25 yards on a couple of play-action passes and four more on a quick out.

Thomas Yassmin: C-

The rookie out of Utah is a work in progress.

Thomas Yassmin made a couple of good blocks but he also struggled at points, like when he couldn’t control his man during the four-minute drill.

Wide Receivers

Courtland Sutton: B

If not for the false start penalty, Courtland Sutton would’ve had an A.

On the first play of the game, Sutton ran a beautiful out route and picked up 13 yards.

Later on, he bailed Bo Nix out with another beautiful route that converted a third down with a 22-yard gain on the sideline. He might have gotten away with running over his defender, but no foul was called.

Sutton looked like a true No. 1 receiver. I’m encouraged by what I saw.

Tim Patrick: C-

I don’t think Tim Patrick should have been called for the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but he was. And the 15-yard loss doomed the drive and hurt his grade significantly.

I came away encouraged by Tim Patrick’s performance. His slant route on the second play of the game was awesome. His footwork was sharp. He knew he had leverage but didn’t rush his move. In an RPO-heavy offense, Patrick could be a high-volume target.

Josh Reynolds: C+

Josh Reynolds made a good play on an out route to loop back inside and turn it into an 11-yard gain.

But he couldn’t bring in a perfect over-the-shoulder pass in the end zone. Yes, a defender was draped on his back, but it’s disappointing he couldn’t hang onto the ball.

Devaughn Vele: B-

This grade might be too low. I struggled with it.

Vele caught an eight-yard out on an RPO. The play was simple, but he executed.

He also drew two pass interference penalties. One of them, the one deep down the sideline, only happened because he fought back to the ball and forced the referee’s hand.

He was also on a different page than Bo Nix on a red-zone snap and ran a slant instead of the fade the quarterback expected. The play could easily have resulted in a turnover.

How do you measure the two pass interference calls? How do you weight the bad decision at the goal line?

This grade might be too high.

Marvin Mims Jr.: A

The touchdown on the flat route was the play of the day for the sophomore.

But there could have been more.

Marvin Mims was open on a deep post and could have scored a touchdown if Zach Wilson delivered a good ball. He did not.

He could have had a double-digit gain but Wilson chose a check down instead of the wide-open receiver.

Mims moved the sticks on a 3rd & 9 curl. He also had a good block on Tyler Badie’s touchdown.

Troy Franklin: C-

I thought Troy Franklin had a chance on the deep ball up the sideline from Zach Wilson. He might not have been able to bring it in and keep himself in bounds, but I thought there was a window.

Franklin could have had a big gain in the two-minute drill before halftime, but Bo Nix didn’t see him open on the sideline.

Overall, a quiet day for the rookie.

Lil’Jordan Humphrey: B-

Lil’Jordan Humphrey had a couple of short catches during the two-minute drill. He had a couple of solid blocks. I don’t have any beef with his performance, but he was quiet.

Jalen Virgil: A-

Jalen Virgil was quiet on offense (other than a great pin block on a toss) but he had a great return to start the second half. He cut across the field and fought to the 43 before going down. He only ran five routes, so I won’t hold his zero targets against him.

David Sills V: A

David Sills wasn’t given many opportunities, but he came away with a pair of catches for 15 yards. One was a third-down pass that Nix left behind him. Sills was able to reach back and grab it but couldn’t get to the sticks. I don’t think that’s his fault.

The high marks stem from his success in the running game, too. He had a great block on Audric Estime’s fumble. He had another great crack block on a toss on the next drive.

Michael Bandy: D+

In a small sample size, Michael Bandy disappointed. His meandering punt return only gained one yard. His lone target was a contested ball short of the sticks on 3rd & 16, and he couldn’t hold on.

Phillip Dorsett: A-

The smaller the sample size, the tougher it is to give a grade.

Phillip Dorsett didn’t earn a target… but he also only ran six routes.

He was also on the field for six run plays and he made my notes for three different great blocks. Two of them helped set up touchdown runs.

You could go just about anywhere with this grade, but I’m giving him credit for his blocking.

Brandon Johnson: A-

Brandon Johnson caught a pair of passes; a 10-yard curl that included a nice move to pick up more after the catch, and a slant that went for a dozen yards.

Offensive Linemen

Garett Bolles: D+

For Garett Bolles, the day is often determined by penalties.

He’s a good tackle, and he had a good day on Sunday. If he isn’t called for a penalty, he’ll probably grade out very well.

But all it takes is one holding call to tank the grade, and he was called for holding after being surprised by a bull rush on Sunday.

Ben Powers: A-

Ben Powers had a light day. With the starting line on the field, I had the Broncos running to the right five times and to the left twice.

Powers had a solid pull when helping out on a power to the right side and was clean the rest of the day in the run game. I also had him clean in the passing game.

Luke Wattenberg: D+

This grade might be too low.

Luke Wattenberg made my notes in a negative way five different times in 22 snaps on the field. Usually a ratio like that is an F.

But the errors weren’t egregious.

He was late getting to his mark on a screen. He couldn’t get to his man on the boundary on a toss to Javonte Williams. Both are very difficult assignments that require a lot of athleticism.

On one four-yard run, he had a solid double-team with Ben Powers but had to help an instant too long and wasn’t able to get to his man on the second level.

On the first run of the game, he had to pin a defensive tackle. The tackle went around the outside of Wattenberg, which is typically a win because the defender is now too far upfield to make a play. But Javonte Williams’ path was slightly altered and the timing of the play was off.

He also gave up a pressure on Bo Nix’s second completion of the day. Nix was hit, but the play was still a success. This was the ugliest moment of Wattenberg’s day.

All of these tiny losses add up to a tough day. A lack of notably good blocks means there’s nothing to counteract them.

Wattenberg did enough to get by, especially in his first start, but there’s certainly room for growth.

Quinn Meinerz: C+

Quinn Meinerz did some really good things in the running game. He doubled and extended to the second-level well. He sealed some running lanes. He looked nasty.

But two plays in pass protection tank his grade.

First, Meinerz gave up a pressure up the middle. He stopped the initial move before getting beat inside on the second move. Stidham still go the ball out cleanly, but he didn’t have unlimited time in the pocket.

The second play was Nix’s first throw. The lineman pushed Meinerz inside and then jumped outside to beat Meinerz and hit the quarterback. It was a counter to the first move. Meinerz got played.

I’m not concerned about the Broncos’ big-money guard, but this was a tough sequence.

Mike McGlinchey: C+

Mike McGlinchey did some really good things on Tuesday, but he also was called for a false start. I might be overweighting the penalty.

On the first run of the game, McGlinchey worked a double-team with Meinerz. When Meinerz left to extend to the second level, McGlinchey finished the block by driving the lineman into the ground for a pancake. This is the kind of play that the Broncos are dreaming of seeing more of from the right side of their line.

McGlinchey looked good in space blocking for a toss, which might be his best trait.

He was also beat around the edge on a short throw, but he forced the defender way out wide and the quarterback had time to get the ball out cleanly. He didn’t have any extra time, though. On a designed quick throw, there’s nothing wrong with the play, even if it was a little rough around the edges.

Matt Peart: B

Matt Peart played left tackle with the backups on Tuesday. He’s the favorite to be the Broncos’ swing tackle this season.

Peart’s plan in the passing game seems to be to rely on his athleticism. He leaned a little inside and was fast enough to keep up with them around the outside. I don’t love the strategy, but I can’t argue with the results.

Peart was solid both in the passing game and the running game on Sunday. I didn’t have any major highlights, but he did get blown up on a pass protection rep. The pressure and hit he allowed were why Bo Nix’s deep ball to Devaughn Vele was underthrown, leading to a pass interference.

Calvin Throckmorton: B

Calvin Throckmorton was the Broncos’ backup left guard on Sunday.

Throckmorton was solid. He had a couple of good blocks in space, especially as a puller. He got the push up front that led to Audric Estime’s fourth-and-short conversion and his touchdown on the next play.

Throckmorton looked stronger than his competition, but he didn’t get to his man on a toss to start the second half. He didn’t get to his man after double-teaming a defensive lineman on a short run by McLaughlin. Those are minor complaints on an otherwise solid day, though.

Alex Forsyth: C

Alex Forsyth played center and guard on Sunday.

The holding penalty tanks Forsyth’s grade. He set up well and held his ground against a defensive lineman. He had hold of the inside of the defender’s pads. When Wilson broke the pocket, the defender tried to escape to the side and Forsyth kept holding on. It was an easy call.

The rest of Forsyth’s work was very promising. He picked up a stunt well and wound up pancaking the edge who rushed inside. He moved well and had a solid block on a toss when playing guard.

I thought Forsyth looked better than Wattenberg, but Wattenberg was playing against a starting defensive line, so I’m not ready to make any bold statements.

Will Sherman: A

Will Sherman played both guard spots on Sunday. He played right guard with the second-string and left guard with the third string.

The fourth-year guard out of Colorado had his best performance as a Bronco on Sunday. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was better than any performance he had with the Patriots in his first two seasons either.

Let’s start with the only misstep I saw in 50 snaps on the field. The Broncos ran a crack toss to the right side to start the second half, and Sherman didn’t get his man. But Vele was trying to get to the same defender and I think it was the receiver’s responsibility to crack him. I’m not placing much blame on Sherman.

We don’t have room to list all of the highlights.

My favorite play was when Sherman helped secure a block for the right tackle in pass protection and then cut back inside to pancake the defender that the center was blocking. It was beautiful.

Sherman had a great pin block on power to open a running lane for Audric Estime. He had a good block in space on a screen for McLaughlin early in the second half. Watson wouldn’t have run for touchdown without Sherman’s block.

It was a great day. For me, it was an eye-opening day.

Sherman was seen as a developmental prospect coming out of college. Now, four years later, it’s easy to forget about him.

But Sherman is younger than Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth, who are seen as exciting young players who could be the Broncos’ center of the future.

I’m not ready to say Sherman is a roster lock or the eventual replacement for Ben Powers, but if he keeps playing like he did on Sunday, the Broncos should wonder if they’ve developed a potential roster piece.

Alex Palczewski: A+

Alex Palczewski started out as the second-string right tackle and then bumped inside to right guard for the first half of the third-team reps.

He played incredibly well.

He dominated his man a stretch run to his side. He had a great block on a toss to start the second half. He got upfield and made another great block on a power. At guard, he continued to dominate. If you want to see it for yourself, look at the first two runs of the Zach Wilson portion of the game.

I don’t have a single complaint for Palczewski. I think he’ll be the Broncos’ sixth lineman in jumbo packages this season, with Quinn Bailey on the sidelines with injury.

Demontrey Jacobs: A-

Demontrey Jacobs was the Broncos’ third-string left tackle on Sunday.

Jacobs had a very solid outing on Sunday, especially when he was leading the way on tosses. This happened four times. He had a great block on the first toss. He led the way for touchdowns on the next two. On the final one, Jacobs popped his man but didn’t sustain the block, and the defender eventually made the tackle.

Jacobs missed a couple of blocks, but the story of the day was his work in space.

Sam Mustipher: B

Sam Mustipher was the Broncos’ third-string center on Sunday.

Mustipher put together a solid outing. He kept a clean sheet but didn’t make any highlight plays. He showed good awareness on combo blocks in the middle of the trenches and didn’t give up a pressure.

Oliver Jervis: B

Oliver Jervis got the second half of the third-string left guard snaps.

In a small sample size, Jervis was solid. He sealed the edge for a couple of short runs.

Frank Crum: B+

Frank Crum was the Broncos’ third-string right tackle.

Crum has had a rocky camp, but he showed the raw tools that the Broncos spent big money on when he was an undrafted free agent out of Wyoming this spring.

On his first run play on the field, Crum pancaked his man. Unfortunately, Estime fumbled. His raw strength showed up on the next play, too. And over and over from there.

On Blake Watson’s second run of the day, Crum sent a defender to his knees.

The 6-foot-7 behemoth wasn’t perfect. He should have given up a sack, but Zach Wilson made the defender miss and scrambled for five yards. (Forsyth was called for holding on the play.)

But on the next play after getting beat, an edge defender tried to get by Crum with a spin move, and the tackle threw him to the ground.

Crum isn’t ready to see the field, but holy cow did he look strong on Sunday.

Click here for the defensive and special teams grades.